Queens Park Rangers face a key Championship playoff battle away to Birmingham City this Saturday. The two sides are locked together on 17 points, with Birmingham in fourth and QPR in fifth, making the clash at St Andrew's a direct six-pointer.
Julien Stephan's side head to the Midlands buoyed by a 4-1 thrashing of Derby County last weekend. Alfie Lloyd, Nicolas Madsen, Harvey Vale and Paul Smyth all found the net in that emphatic victory. That win ended a run of four consecutive draws, a sequence you can review in our stats section.
Injury blow for QPR
The build-up has been marred by a significant injury concern for the visitors. Right-back Amadou Mbengue, 24, was stretchered off with a knee injury in a midweek match and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period. His absence increases the importance of 2025 recruit Kealy Adamson in the defensive line.
Birmingham boss Chris Davies has his own selection notes, with midfielder Paik Seung-Ho ruled out through injury. Davies also commented on the future of Tomoki Iwata, saying, "Tomoki Iwata could be playing out his final season in the Second City." The hosts are in strong form themselves, having beaten Preston 4-0 and West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in their last two outings.
QPR's recent form shows just one defeat in their last five matches, a record of 0 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss. They will look to carry the momentum from the Derby win into this key fixture. The match kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, 17 October.
